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A searchable database to explore US allopathic medical schools. Additional information available for an annual subscription fee (subscription included with AAMC Fee Assistance Program).
Medicine
Physicians (MDs and DOs) may take on numerous roles in their careers, including seeing patients, conducting research, teaching, managing healthcare facilities, and developing healthcare policy, but caring for individuals’ health is at the heart of the profession.
Physicians train in two types of medical schools: allopathic (granting the MD degree) and osteopathic (granting the DO degree). Osteopathic medicine was developed in the 1870s by an allopathic physician who felt there was undue focus on disease at the expense of preventative care and treating illness within the context of the whole body. MDs and DOs are trained similarly, completing undergraduate medical education (med school) and graduate medical education (residency), and can practice in all of the same settings in the US.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and Association of American Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) oversee allopathic and osteopathic medical education, respectively, and provide a wealth of information for aspiring physicians.
Academic Preparation
There is no required or recommended major. Premedical students pursue their major alongside medical school prerequisites that often include:
- General Chemistry with lab (2 semesters)
- Organic Chemistry with lab (1 semester)
- Physics with lab (2 semesters)
- General Biology with lab (2 semesters)
- Biochemistry (1 semester)
- Math: 1 semester math, 1 semester statistics
- English (2 semesters)
- Psychology, Sociology (to facilitate MCAT preparation)
Cocurricular Preparation
It is essential to gain a real-world perspective on your profession of interest through clinical experience. Beyond that, choose service, research, leadership, and other activities that will help you develop the core competencies valued in entering medical students, including service orientation, cultural competence, and teamwork and communication skills.
Application Logistics
- Applicants are expected to take the Medical College Admission Test within three years of planned matriculation to medical school (e.g., 2022 for matriculation in 2023 through 2025).
- Begin working with HPA in the fall, two years before intended entry (e.g., Fall 2021 for 2023 matriculation).
- Apply in June, about 16 months before intended entry (e.g., June 2022 for 2023 matriculation).
- Apply to most schools through the AMCAS (MD) and AACOMAS (DO) primary (common) applications. Application opens in early May for submission in May/June. Separate applications to Texas and Ontario.
- Medical schools prefer/require a committee letter of recommendation.
Find a Program
“The Preparing Guide”
A 30+ page handbook with HPA’s advice on starting the prehealth journey.
AAMC Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR)
A searchable database to explore US allopathic medical schools. Additional information available for an annual subscription fee (subscription included with AAMC Fee Assistance Program).
AACOM Choose DO Explorer
A searchable database to explore US osteopathic (DO) medical schools.
Medical School Requirements: Science GPA, Non-Science GPA, Overall GPA
Because of the sheer volume of medical school applications they have to wade through, admissions officers have to make some initial screening decisions based largely on GPA and MCAT scores. The average GPA for medical school matriculants in 2022–2023 was a 3.68 science, a 3.84 non-science, and a 3.75 overall.
How Important is GPA for Med School?
Generally speaking, your undergraduate performance is the most important aspect of your medical school application . The most competitive medical schools may use national GPA averages as cutoffs for initial selection. But at most medical schools, successful candidates can still score below these national averages, if they are above average in any of the other components of their applications.
Top schools also consider subjective aspects of a student’s academic record, such as the type and difficulty of courses taken, GPA trends (an upward trajectory is good!), special academic projects undertaken, and the reputation of your college or pre-med major .
Which GPAs do Med Schools Care About?
Your GPA, for the purposes of applying to medical school , consists of your science GPA, your non-science GPA, and your cumulative GPA. Your science GPA is comprised of grades in medical school prerequisite classes like biology, chemistry, physics, and math. Your non-science GPA is comprised of grades in all your other classes. Each GPA is calculated for your undergraduate career, for any non degree-seeking postsecondary work, and for any degree seeking postsecondary programs. In other words, you could conceivably have nine different GPAs! Each medical school has its own policies for deciding which GPA means the most to them when they’re choosing which applicants to interview and/or to accept.
What is a Good GPA for Med School?
It is extremely difficult to get into medical school with a cumulative GPA of less than 3.0. Here’s how med school applicants compare to enrolled students (i.e. matriculants).
| Applicants | Matriculants | |
|---|---|---|
| Science GPA | 3.52 | 3.68 |
| Non-Science GPA | 3.76 | 3.84 |
| Total GPA | 3.62 | 3.75 |
How Do Your Grades Measure Up?
Use resources like the MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirements) database to help you compare your grades to the average med school GPAs for the schools on your list. The MSAR Online is available for a $27 subscription fee to students looking for information on U.S. and Canadian medical schools.
You can also find average GPAs and med school acceptance rates in our online school profiles. Just use our med school search to find the programs you want to research.
Strategies for Applying to a Med School with a Low GPA
If your GPA is on the low side, you’ll need higher MCAT scores to compensate.
But remember: Although grades and scores play a large role in your application, medical schools are also interested in who you are, why you want to be a physician, and whether or not you have a clue about what being a doctor is really like. So, if you’re applying with a less-competitive GPA, here’s what you’ll want to play up on your application:
- Exposure to the healthcare field (professional or volunteer work in a hospital, clinic, hospice, or other healthcare setting)
- Academic research experience
- Leadership and community service
- Personal skills and qualities like empathy, communication, and strong interest in the sciences
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